By Zubair
Lahore / Islamabad
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) multi-district protest caravan advanced through Kohat on Monday and is heading toward the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa-Punjab boundary at Khairabad bridge near Attock, heightening political tensions across the federal capital. In response, the Ministry of Interior and federal law enforcement have placed Islamabad and Rawalpindi on maximum alert, barricading critical arterial routes with shipping containers and deploying paramilitary forces to prevent demonstrators from reaching D-Chowk and the Red Zone.
Caravan Progresses Past Kohat Toward Attock Corridor
Senior PTI organizers speaking to INPK confirmed that after an overnight halt in Karak, the southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa convoy converged in Kohat before setting off along the Indus Highway toward Attock. Led by provincial leaders and lawmakers, the caravan has brought along cranes, earth-moving machinery, and medical vehicles as it prepares to negotiate government barricades at the provincial crossing points.
Party leaders reaffirmed that the march's core demands center on the release of PTI founder Imran Khan, judicial inquiries into electoral discrepancies, and the withdrawal of legal cases filed against opposition workers. Ground inquiries conducted by INPK show that regional party chapters across Hazara, Mardan, and Malakand have been instructed to join the main trunk of the march as it nears the motorway corridor.
Twin Cities Fortified with Containers and Section 144
Authorities in Islamabad and Rawalpindi have instituted sweeping prohibitions under Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, banning all political gatherings, sit-ins, and demonstrations. Heavy container walls have been erected across Faizabad, Tarnol, 26 Number Chungi, and the entry loops connecting the M-1 (Peshawar-Islamabad) Motorway to Srinagar Highway.
Speaking to INPK on condition of anonymity, a senior federal police official stated that contingency cordons have been deployed across the diplomatic enclave and constitutional avenue, with strict instructions to halt any unauthorized entry. "Public order and the security of key national installations will be preserved at all costs, and traffic diversions have been enacted to minimize civilian disruption," the official noted.
Negotiations in Deadlock as Transit Disruption Mounts
Informal backchannel overtures between government emissaries and parliamentary representatives have so far yielded no breakthrough. While federal ministers have urged the opposition to respect court directives and avoid paralyzing urban infrastructure, PTI leadership maintains that peaceful assembly remains a protected constitutional guarantee.
Inter-city freight logistics and passenger commutes between northern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab have experienced significant delays, compounded by precautionary suspensions on segments of the twin-city Metrobus network.
Readers can monitor live dispatches, route advisories, and verified political developments directly on INPK News Coverage.